


Compliments

by JustAHobbit



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Awkward Flirting, Awkward Zuko, F/M, Iroh gives great advice, Zutara, poor baby
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-13
Updated: 2017-05-13
Packaged: 2018-10-31 05:12:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10892403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustAHobbit/pseuds/JustAHobbit
Summary: Even with the guidance of Uncle Iroh, Zuko fails spectacularly at paying Katara a compliment.





	Compliments

            “Girls like it when you compliment them,” Iroh observed. Zuko paused in slurping up his noodles and eyed his uncle warily. This came out of nowhere. The older man had a peaceful smile on his face. Zuko didn’t trust that smile. It always meant _trouble._

            “Many men come to believe that means they should say something about a woman’s physical attribute: her eyes, her lips, or some other nonsense. But this makes a woman feel like a cheap object. You need to really notice her and make a compliment that really matters to them.”

            Zuko finished swallowing his food. “Why are you telling me this?” he growled.

            “For instance: tell her that she has a nice laugh. Or that you like her dress.”

            “I thought you just said not to focus on the physical.”

            “ _Quiet_ , and drink your tea.” Zuko did just as he was told. “Clothing is different. Maybe she is unsure of what she chose to wear that day and complimenting that outfit will give her a boost of confidence. Or maybe compliment something she is interested or works hard at.”

            Iroh’s eyes flickered with a mischievous gleam. “For instance, you could say something nice about her tai chi.”

            Zuko choked on his tea.

            He coughed, sputtered, and Iroh thumped him on the back. Gasping for breath, Zuko risked peeking through the hair that fell over his eyes.

            Katara, thankfully, had either not heard Zuko nearly drown himself via tea or was choosing to ignore it. It was probably the latter. Katara had done little more than tolerate Zuko in all the time they had known each other. Now Uncle Iroh was making _crazy suggestions._ Not for the first time, Zuko wondered what his uncle slipped into his tea.

            How did his uncle even _know_ that Katara did tai chi? Oh, right. Katara probably told him. Because Katara liked talking to everybody.

            Except _Zuko_.

            Katara smiled amiably at her customers, keeping eye contact with all of them as she set down the tea cups in front of them. Then her eyes flashed over to Zuko.

            Cursing to himself, Zuko quickly turned his head back to his lunch. He could feel his face heating up.

            “Don’t be ridiculous, Uncle,” Zuko chastised. “Her and me?”

            Iroh raised a critical eyebrow over his cup of tea. “What’s wrong with her?”

            “Nothing.” Nothing was wrong with Katara, truly. She was intelligent, brave, strong, fierce, intimidating, steadfast. Zuko was…just Zuko.

            Iroh patted the back of his nephew’s hand with a knowing look in his eye. Zuko wondered, not for the first time if Iroh could read minds.

            “Compliments,” Iroh said. “Women love compliments.”

 

* * *

 

            _Compliments,_ Zuko thought to himself. _Com-pli-ments. Com-pli-ments._ His feet hit the pavement one after the other as he rounded the corner, his morning run coming to a close as his apartment building came into view.

            The morning run had been a means to psyche himself up. He always felt better after a morning run. His head felt clearer. He was less likely to say something stupid. He could do this.

            Katara was studying at the kitchen table when he came in the front door. Sokka and Suki were nowhere to be seen, which meant they were probably behind their closed bedroom door. Zuko inwardly shuddered as he filled up a glass of water, downed it. Filled up another glass, downed that, too. Filled up a third glass. He might be stalling now.

            “Bathroom’s free,” Katara spoke. Her eyes never left the page. Zuko nodded and began to rummage around in the fridge for his leftovers from last night. He risked a look at Katara. _Compliments,_ Zuko said to himself. He took a few bites of his rice, not bothering to try and heat it up again. _Compliments._ He could do this.

            Zuko cleared his throat. “Is-uh, is that new? The shirt, I mean.”

            Katara looked at him in surprise, then glanced down at the shirt she was wearing. Even Zuko, who’s fashion sense leaned toward dark with sometimes a splash of red, or (when he worked in Uncle’s tea shop) green, liked the shirt Katara was wearing. It was a silvery gray with black trimming the collar.

            “Yes,” Katara finally said. “Suki dragged me shopping.”

            Zuko nodded in interest. “It’s nice. I like it.” That sounded too short. Too insincere. He should say something else.

            “It’s like an elephant.”

            Katara dropped her highlighter in shock. To Zuko’s immense displeasure, the floor did not immediately open up and swallow him whole. His heart began to pick up its pace again.

            “What?” Oh, shit. That was Katara talking.Fix this. _Fix this, Zuko!_

            “I meant the color!” he said hurriedly. “The color is like an elephant. It’s gray. Elephants are gray. I’m not saying _you’re_ like an elephant. Well, you kind of are.”

            Katara crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at Zuko. “Excuse me?”

            Zuko gulped. “I meant because elephants are smart! And you’re smart. Elephants have big brains. And they’re good at tai chi. _You_. You’re good at tai chi, is what I meant to say.”

            Katara looked at him warily. The way you would look at an escaped, possibly dangerous, mental patient. “Okay?” she said slowly.

            Zuko breathed in and out. He needed to say something. _Anything_. Nothing could be worse than what he had said already.

            “When elephants lose their last set of molars, the animal is unable to eat and they eventually die.”

            Except that.

            Zuko slapped his hands over his face. “Why are you telling me depressing facts about elephants?” Katara wanted to know. Zuko growled in frustration and stalked off to the bathroom.

            _“Just forget it!”_ he snapped. He slammed the bathroom door closed and let out a frustrated yell. He would just drown himself in the shower until Katara left for class.

* * *

 

            Suki poked her head out of hers and Sokka’s shared bedroom. “Was that _Zuko_?” she asked. Katara nodded. “Did he hurt himself? What’s wrong with him?”

            Katara eyed her anatomy textbook. “I’m not sure,” Katara said. “I don’t think we’ve covered that in class yet.”

**Author's Note:**

> Believe it or not, I found that depressing fact about elephants on a website labeled FUN elephant facts.


End file.
